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Vandenberg Solar Project

Solar power plant in California, United States of America. Approximate location 34.7497, -120.51.

SolarCaliforniaUnited States of America

Vandenberg Solar Project is a 22 MW solar power plant in California, United States of America. It is operated by Vandenberg Solar I LLC. Based on reported annual generation of 43 GWh, it can supply roughly 12,257 homes. It ranks #3563 of 9,833 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2018, it is around 8 years old — recently built. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, solar supplies about 8.6% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

22MW installed capacity
43GWh reported / yr
12,257homes powered
2018commissioned (~8 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0061463.

Reported generation trend

2017: 2 GWh20172018: 46 GWh20182019: 43 GWh201946 GWh

Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Vandenberg Solar I LLC.

Local climate & thermal context

This solar plant converts sunlight directly into electricity with photovoltaic panels. It sits in a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 34.7°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

14.5°Cannual mean temp
1,268heating degree-days (base 18°C)
3cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
202 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 12 °CJF: 12 °CFM: 12 °CMA: 13 °CAM: 14 °CMJ: 16 °CJJ: 17 °CJA: 18 °CAS: 18 °CSO: 17 °CON: 14 °CND: 12 °CD18 °C

Heating degree-days here run 48% below the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 30/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

In colder climates, uninsulated hot equipment (boilers, turbines, valves, steam lines) loses proportionally more heat to ambient air — exactly the loss Inzonex modular insulation is designed to cut.

Solar PV loses ~0.35%/°C above 25°C cell temperature — roughly 0.0% at warm-season highs here (estimate).

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #286 largest solar power plant of 3283 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 3283 solar power plants in this dataset, together about 37,970 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 34.7497, -120.51 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

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